Bonnie

CHAPTER 13

“TAKE THE PHOTO AWAY,” BEN SAID.

It was the first time Ben had spoken in the last two hours. He had worked steadily, not looking at Joe, but Joe had seen his eyes wander several times toward the photo beside him on the bench.

“Does it bother you?”

“It mixes me up. You mix me up.”

“Then talk to me. Ask me questions. Maybe I can straighten it out.”

The boy didn’t speak, but his expression held a kind of helpless anguish.

“Okay,” Joe said. “I’ll ask the questions and try to work it out. You want to keep your word to Ted Danner. But you know that Danner’s taking Eve was the wrong thing to do. It was the kind of thing your father would do. Isn’t that right?”

“He won’t hurt her.”

“But you’re afraid of the accidents, aren’t you?”

“I don’t like accidents. They scare me.”

“Then the best thing to do is get her away from him. Then there won’t be an accident. But he won’t let her go, we’ll have to take her. To do that, we have to know where he’s going with her.”

“I don’t know that.”

“But you know where he went when he left the camp on weekends. I think he’s probably taking her there. Don’t you, Ben?”

“He… likes it there sometimes. Sometimes it scares him.”

“Why would it do that?”

No answer. Skip the questions before they caused him to skitter away. “We agree that it’s best that Eve doesn’t stay with him. Now we have to find a way to find her.”

He shook his head. “I promised him.”

Blank wall.

“You’re afraid I’ll hurt him.”

Ben raised his eyes and met his gaze. Joe was once again aware of the gentle clarity that seemed to see beyond and through him. Piercing vision. Knowing vision. “You want to do it,” he said. “No matter what you say, you want to hurt him. Because of the woman. Because you’re afraid for that woman in the photo.”

Joe couldn’t lie. If he did, the boy would see right through him, and he would lose any hope of cooperation. “You’re right, I want to stop anyone who would hurt her. And I would hurt Ted Danner if I thought he was going to do it.” He paused. “If it came to that moment, I believe you would find a way of stopping him, too. If you thought there would be an… accident.”

“I wouldn’t like it. I couldn’t do it.”

“No one is making you do it.” Ben was close, but Joe had an overwhelming barrier to overcome. “Suppose I do everything I can not to hurt Ted Danner. If I can take Eve away from him without hurting him, I’ll do it.”

“You will?” Ben’s gaze searched his face. “You promise?”

“I’ll promise that if he doesn’t hurt Eve, I won’t hurt him.”

“Ever?”

All he had to do was say yes. He slowly shook his head. “I’ll probably have to go after him, but I would do it anyway. It won’t be because you broke your promise. The only result of that will be that Eve will be safe.”

Ben’s gaze was on his face. “You didn’t want to tell me that.”

“Sometimes it’s hard to do the right thing, particularly if it might hurt someone else.”

“Yes.” He looked down at the photo of Eve. “And it’s hard to know what’s right or wrong. What’s right for you may be wrong for me. It’s confusing. I don’t always understand.”

“None of us do, Ben.”

Ben lifted his gaze from the photo. “But lately things are becoming clearer. It’s like lifting a curtain, isn’t it?”

“Is it? And what’s causing that curtain to lift, Ben?”

“I’m not sure. I think it’s the dreams…”

“Will you help me, Ben?”

He didn’t speak for a long time, then he slowly nodded. “I’ll take you to the place.”

“You don’t have to do that. Just tell me where it is.”

“No.” Ben got to his feet. “I have to go with you. I have to make sure nothing happens to Ted. That’s how it has to be.” He headed for the door of the tent. “I’ll go tell my supervisor that he needs to replace me for today.” He smiled. “Though it will be hard for him. I’m real good at my job. Everyone says so.”

“I don’t doubt it,” Joe said gently. “While you’re gone, I’ll let Father Barnabas know that you’ve changed my mind.”

He watched the boy wend his way through the tents on the way to the office. It had been difficult as hell to persuade the boy to go along with him. Even now, he wasn’t sure if he’d succeeded or if the kid’s troubled conscience had been the guiding influence. Whatever it was, he’d take it. He hadn’t expected to run into a boy like Ben here.

Like Ben? He had an idea Ben was unique. He might be slow and have to work his way through the complexity of the human condition and the world around him, but that was not really a handicap in Joe’s eyes. The world ran too fast, judgments were too quickly made, treasures too often lost.

And Ben would hold on to a treasure with all his strength as he was doing with his friendship for Danner. Even when his conscience was being tormented about the danger to Eve, he was still going to make sure no harm came to Ted Danner.

And could Joe keep his promise to Ben about not hurting Danner? He had hedged it, made conditions, but the promise had still been made. He had tied his own hands until he could get Eve free. A fine balance.

All right, accept it. Who knew what would go down when he caught up with Danner? The only thing certain was that Eve would live, Eve would be free.

“You found out what you wanted to know?” Father Barnabas had come to stand beside him at the entry of the tent.

Joe nodded. “I will soon. Ben’s going to take me to the place where Danner used to camp.” He gave the priest a sardonic look. “And I didn’t even have to use a rubber hose on him.”

“I’m a better judge of character than that,” Father Barnabas said quietly. “Under certain circumstances, I’m sure you could be brutal, but not to a boy like Ben.” He turned away. “I’m coming with you. Don’t argue.”

“The hell I won’t argue. This is the end of the line for you. I don’t trust you. If we’re getting close to Danner, I’m not going to have to risk looking over my shoulder every minute.”

“That’s your problem. I’m either going with you or following behind. Make up your mind.”

“I could put you out and there wouldn’t be a decision.”

“But you’d hesitate to do that. Because there’s a part of you that believes that I’m what I seem on the surface and not one of Danner’s demons.”

The priest was right, Joe realized in frustration. His time with Father Barnabas had allowed a strange, complex relationship to develop between them. He alternated between liking and believing him and a distrust that was probably what he should be feeling.

Father Barnabas’s gaze was on Joe’s face. He nodded. “I’ll get my sleeping bag from the car.”

“Sleeping bag? You came prepared.”

He smiled. “I’m the urban type. I don’t like sleeping on the cold ground. I might even let you and Ben take a turn using it.”

“I’m sure you’d consider that your duty,” Joe said dryly.

“Not necessarily. It might be my duty to strengthen your physical stamina or to strip you of all creature comforts to give you both time to contemplate your sins.” He grinned. “I have choices.”

STOP. REST. SLEEP

Those words had been repeating in Gallo’s mind for the last two hours. He had to ignore them. He had to keep going.

Stop. Rest. Sleep.

Crazy.

Perhaps it was just his body telling him that it was best to take a break.

“We can stop for a while and get our breath.” Gallo looked up at Catherine from where he was kneeling by the side of the path. “Danner stopped here and took another break. That’s the third in the last seven hours. He’s letting Eve rest.”

“Maybe he’s letting himself rest,” Catherine said. “He’s not a young man any longer, Gallo.”

“He hasn’t changed that much. You saw him at the bayou. He’s still very tough.” He leaned back against a pine tree. “We’re making good time, and he’s losing it with every stop. I figure we’ll be almost on top of him in about five hours.”

“Then we should keep on going. I don’t need to rest.”

No, Catherine would never admit to a lack of strength and endurance, he thought. Hell, maybe it wasn’t a matter of pride. She did have amazing staying power. Everything about her was amazing.

Stop. Rest. Sleep.

“It’s been over twenty-four hours. We have to be at the top of our game when we overtake them. Rest,” he said. “Forty-five minutes. If you can nap, do it.”

She shook her head. “I can’t sleep. I’m wired.” She sank down beside him before taking out her iPhone and checking the apps. “These last hours we’ve traveled right in line with the coordinates Joe gave us for that camp. That’s got to be where he’s heading.” She frowned. “No, not exactly in line. We’re a little east. But he might veer back.”

“Or he might not. Stop worrying. We’ll find out when we reach him.”

She was silent. “No, I can see you’re not worrying.”

He opened his eyes. “I’m not stalling so that we’ll lose him, Catherine. We can afford this rest.”

She studied his expression, then settled back against the tree beside him. “I know we can. I know all the rules about conserving strength and all that bull. It’s not a code-red situation. Danner has a destination, and he’s not mistreating Eve yet.” She added through her teeth, “But we’re not there, dammit. And this is Eve.” She drew a deep breath. “Okay, forty-five minutes. Though I’d be a hell of a lot more relaxed going full tilt after Danner. I don’t understand why you don’t feel the same way.”

“I do. I can’t tell you how much I need this to be over.” He closed his eyes again. “But this is the right thing to do, Catherine. I feel it.” And that feeling was tugging, nagging at him with increasing intensity.

Stop. Rest. Sleep.

“Well, I don’t feel it.”

“And you’re so damn tense that you’re about to break apart.”

“I’m not. I wouldn’t-” She suddenly broke off as he pulled her into his arms so that her cheek lay against his shoulder. “What are you doing, Gallo?”

He wasn’t sure. It had been an impulse. “Nothing carnal… I don’t think.” Though his body had responded the minute he had touched her. Block it. This wasn’t the moment.

Something else was coming that was far more important.

And where the hell had that last thought come from?

Stop. Rest. Sleep.

“Relax. I just want to hold you.”

She was still taut and resisting. Then she was suddenly relaxing, her body flowing into his.

That heat and hardening again.

Block it. Not now.

“Why, Gallo?” she muttered.

“I don’t know. I just want to hold you. I want you to be calm and… with me.” His hand was gently stroking her hair. “Your hair smells good.”

“You’re a little crazy, Gallo,” she muttered.

“So I’ve been told.”

“I can’t remember anyone ever wanting to just… hold me.”

“And considering the fact that you’re one totally desirable lady, you may never experience it again.”

She was silent a moment. “This is important to you, isn’t it?”

“It’s important.”

She shrugged. “I don’t understand it, but I guess it’s okay.”

“Even though you believe I’m a bit wacko.”

“People need different things at different times.”

“Close your eyes, Catherine.”

“They are closed.”

And he could feel the muscles of her body relaxing. “Forty-five minutes, Catherine.”

“You already said that.”

But she was quiet now, and his own body was still and no longer needing her. He could feel her strength but no disturbance. That was how it should be. That was how he knew instinctively that it had to be.

He could go on now…

IT WAS HOT IN THE DARKNESS and he could smell his own sweat.

He opened his eyes and saw the manacles fastened to the wall and the dirty straw on the stone floor.

His heart jerked in panic.

He knew this place, this cell. Prison. North Korea.

The pain.

“I’m sorry. It will go away. I’ve never tried to do this kind of dream, and I’m not very good at it. I brought you in at the wrong time.”

Bonnie. Red curls shining under the light flowing into the darkness from the barred window, wearing jeans and a Bugs Bunny T-shirt. Sitting beside him in the darkness. As she had visited him all those other times during the seven years he was in prison.

And the pain was suddenly gone.

She smiled. “I told you so. The stink of this place is bothering you. I can take that away, too.”

“I thought… Oh God, I thought I was out of here.”

“And you are. I’m sorry. It won’t be for long.” Her smile faded. “I didn’t want to bring you back here, but it was the only way that I could be sure of reaching you. It was the only strong familiar time we shared. I had to be sure that I was here with you quickly. But this is only a dream. That time is all over. It’s only a dream.”

He drew a deep breath as the panic almost faded. “Or was that other time a dream, and is this reality?”

She smiled. “I promise you.”

Peace. Love. Bonnie.

A dream, just a dream of that nightmare place, and even the nightmare was gradually being shaded with strands of light. He could almost hear the sound of the songs she used to sing to him in this hellhole. “I thought I’d killed you, Bonnie. It wasn’t true, was it?”

“No, I tried to tell you. But you wouldn’t listen. I couldn’t get through to you.” She smiled. “All you wanted to do was jump off that cliff.”

“And you wouldn’t let me.”

“No, that’s never the way. It messes up everything.” She leaned back against the wall and looked around the cell. She whispered, “This is a terrible place. When I found you here, it made me so sad. You were so brave and strong, and they were hurting you. I wanted so to help you. I wanted you to know you weren’t alone. I wanted you to believe that someone cared about you.”

He remembered the dreams of Bonnie that had kept away the pain and made him fight to live. “You did help me.”

A brilliant smile lit her face. “I’m glad. I thought I did.” The next moment, the smile had vanished. “I’m slipping away. I have to talk quickly.”

“Slipping away?”

“I’m usually pretty good at this dream stuff, but I’m having to divide up my concentration now. I can probably only hold on for another few minutes.”

“Then why did you come?”

“I had to tell you something.” She added gently, “And you’re hurting. I had to let you know that I’ll try to help you.”

“Eve. Forget about me. Can you help Eve?”

“I’m trying to get near her. That’s why I had to use a dream to reach you. I have to use most of my effort trying to reach her. He keeps pushing me away. He’s so strong right now.”

Fear iced through him. “Will he hurt her?”

“I hope not,” she said soberly.

“Dammit, don’t you know?”

“I keep seeing Mama, then in his hand a knife.”

Gallo muttered a curse.

“That’s why I had to come to you now,” she said quietly. “I think he’ll use the knife. I think the decision to use it is what’s giving him his strength.”

“But you’re not certain.”

“And you don’t want to believe he’d do it. Neither do I. I’m scared for Mama. But Ted Danner’s not always the same. He changes. I think she’s safe now, but I don’t know for how long. When you get to Mama, you have to believe you may not be able to talk to him.” She paused. “You have to believe he’ll do it. In your heart and in your head.”

He could feel the tears sting his eyes. “Sometimes I have trouble with both. It’s… hard, Bonnie.” He tried to smile. “Hell, you’re a ghost. Isn’t there some great master plan that you can tap into and help keep her safe?”

“Oh, yes, there’s a plan. And sometimes I get glimpses of it. Sometimes I can help, and that’s wonderful.” She smiled radiantly. “But I’m only learning now. It’s not in my hands. There are so many things I don’t know yet. But I think that there are different ways that the plan can end if the soul has not crossed over. It’s possible we can change it. That’s why you have to help. You have to get to Mama. You have to help her. And I’ll help her, too…”

She was gone.

He felt a wrenching regret and a piercing loneliness. And then the darkness of the prison and the memories it contained were gone, too.

Swirling. Vanishing.

“Gallo!”

He opened his eyes.

Catherine was looking up at him with a frown. “Your heart was going triple time. I shook you, but you didn’t stir.” She sat back on her heels. “Are you okay?”

He nodded and straightened. “I must have drifted off.”

“It was more like a tidal wave than any gentle drifting. Nightmare?”

“Sort of.” He stood up and reached down and pulled her to her feet. “It’s over now.”

“What’s over?”

The return to that ugliness of the past that had been transformed into salvation by the visits of one small girl. He wasn’t about to explain what had transpired to Catherine. She was having enough problems coming to terms with the stories and beliefs about Bonnie that were coming at her from all sides. “We have to get going.”

“I’m not arguing. But aren’t you being a bit erratic? It’s not as if you’ve been slacking. It’s been less than fifteen minutes.”

He’d thought it had been much longer. Or as if time itself had stopped.

I keep seeing Mama, then a knife in his hand.

He felt the same panic he had when Bonnie had first said those words.

“It doesn’t matter if I’m a little erratic. Live with it.” He strode into the brush. “We’ve got to get moving.”

A knife in his hand…

“HOW MUCH FARTHER?” EVE asked as she glanced behind her. “Are you ready to tell me where we’re-”

The metal of his knife was gleaming in Danner’s hand.

Eve stopped short, her breath catching in her throat. She watched him touch the edge of the blade with an almost caressing forefinger. He was looking down at the knife in total fascination, then his thumb was stroking the hilt as if it were alive. “Danner?”

He lifted his head and looked at her. His eyes were clouded, and she wasn’t sure that he recognized her.

This was not good.

What Father Barnabas had said about Danner shifting from sanity to madness in the space of a moment flew back to her. This could well be one of those moments. She had to be extremely wary.

“Why do you have the knife out?” She moistened her lips. “Do you need to cut this brush? It doesn’t seem any worse than-” He wasn’t listening to her. She had to break through the dark fog that seemed to surround him. It had caught her off guard. He had been silent for the last few hours, but he hadn’t said much since their journey had begun. She’d had no idea that such danger had been brewing. She had been focused on just getting to their destination, getting to Bonnie.

And she would never find Bonnie if she couldn’t control the actions of this man who seemed to teeter back and forth on a lethal tightrope.

Think.

If she ran, then he’d be after her in a heartbeat.

Danner had Ranger training. She had been taught to defend herself, but she was not Catherine and did not have her skills.

Okay, then it had to be verbal attack.

“You don’t want to cut brush with that knife,” she said quietly. “You want to use it on me. Why, Danner? I’ve done what I promised. I thought you wanted to take me to Bonnie. Why give it up now?”

“The demons,” he whispered. “They’re trying to get to me. I can feel them push and pull at me. But I won’t let them do it.”

Demons. Use the demons that obsessed him to control him. “That’s right, keep them away. But you’re not thinking straight. You said you wanted to give me to Bonnie. What good would it do to kill me now? You had a reason to take me to Bonnie, or you would have killed me when we were with Father Barnabas back at the church.” She wasn’t getting through to him. Try another path. “Or do you think I’m a demon too, Danner?”

“I’m not sure. I didn’t… think so. The little girl didn’t think you were a demon. She wanted you.” He was frowning. “But sometimes the demons take over, and I can’t tell the difference until they’re ready to pounce. They don’t always look like demons.”

“I’m not a demon.” She turned and moved slowly back toward where he stood. Not too fast. No threat. She could already see him tensing. She stopped before him. “As you said, Bonnie doesn’t think I’m a demon.”

“But maybe she’s one now, too,” he whispered. “Maybe they caught her when I wasn’t around to keep them away.” His eyes were suddenly glittering with tears. “I hope they didn’t. God, I hope they didn’t. I have to stop them. I have to stop all of you.”

His hand was tightening on the knife. Eve could see the muscles of his body tightening, readying to spring forward toward her.

She instinctively braced herself. No, stop it before she had to defend herself. “Bonnie isn’t a demon either. I’d know it if she had changed.” She stared him in the eye. “Remember, you said you saw us together and you could see how much we loved each other. Do demons love? I don’t think so.”

“No, hate,” he said hoarsely. “Only hate.”

“Then you wouldn’t have chosen to take me to her if you hadn’t been sure that she had love for me. Isn’t that right?”

“Maybe. I’m confused right now.”

But his hand had never loosened on the knife.

“That’s because the demons want you to be confused. They don’t want you to take me to Bonnie. They know that if I’m with her, I’ll protect her, that I’ll never let them have her.” She took a step closer so that she was only inches from him. “I’d keep all the forces of darkness away from my Bonnie. There isn’t an angel or demon who could stop me from doing that. Look at me, Danner. You’ll see it.” She reached down and lifted his hand grasping the knife until the blade was pressing against her throat. She held his gaze with all the passion and strength of will that was her love for Bonnie. “See it,” she repeated fiercely. “And if you don’t, then use that knife that’s at my throat.”

It was a gamble. His hand was shaking, and she could feel the blade prick her skin.

Believe me, she willed the thought with every bit of her mind and soul. I have to bring my Bonnie home. It can’t end like this.

His eyes were flickering, shifting, changing.

Help me, Bonnie. Help me, baby.

He stepped back, and the hand with the knife fell to his side.

Eve let out the breath she hadn’t known she was holding.

The moment of danger had passed… for now.

Had she convinced him? Or had Danner’s madness, which always seemed to be hovering in the shadows, just retreated?

Or had Eve been given the help for which she’d prayed?

It didn’t matter. Danner’s eyes were clear, his expression as close to normal as she’d experienced since he’d taken her. She moistened her lips again. “You do believe me. That’s good. I’m glad that you’ve gotten over that particular misconception. I don’t usually have to defend myself against the charge of being a demon, and I have to really reach to do it.”

He was gazing at her in bewilderment. “You’re joking with me.”

“Purely involuntary. I admit to being a little shaken, and that’s how I generally handle it.”

“You’re frightened,” he said slowly.

“You caught me off guard. A knife usually has that effect on me.”

He was staring at her with an expression that had an odd element of regret. “I do have to kill you. I can’t do anything else. You didn’t seem afraid before. I was… surprised.”

“Get over it. As I said, you caught me off guard. This time self-preservation kicked in.” Her lips tightened. “You’re worrying that I’ll break my word about making it easy for you? You’re wondering if it’s worth it to you to wait and take me to where you want to… do it.”

“Yes.”

“I won’t lie to you. I’m not afraid to die. Sometimes there seems to be more waiting for me there than here. But that’s only sometimes. Self-preservation, Danner. If I can live, I’ll do it. But you won’t have to worry about my being difficult for you until after you’ve taken me to where I can find my daughter.” She met his eyes. “I’m not as sure as you are that she wants what you want. I’ll have to see.”

He didn’t speak for a moment. “You’re… honest. I knew that from the moment I met you when you were just a kid. You were pregnant and alone, and you were still fighting and telling the world to get out of your way.”

“I wasn’t entirely alone. There are good people in this world, Danner. I thought you were one of them. You would have helped me if I’d asked, wouldn’t you?”

“You didn’t ask. You didn’t want me. You didn’t want John.”

“Is that why you killed my daughter?” Her hands clenched. “You did kill her, didn’t you? Tell me.”

He didn’t answer. “I thought you were right, that John would want to be free if he came back from Korea. I was glad you didn’t want him to marry you just because you were having his kid. I would have helped you, but I didn’t want you hanging on John, keeping him back.”

Memories of that time were bombarding her. Nights of passion with John Gallo. The first moment she’d seen Bonnie at the hospital. This was becoming incredibly hard.

“I never wanted to hurt John,” she said unevenly. “But I did hurt him by keeping my daughter to myself. I never realized that until later. I was given a special gift, and I wouldn’t share it. Did you realize that I’d hurt him and wanted to strike back? I just don’t understand.”

“I’d never let you hurt John,” Danner said roughly. “I’d never let anyone hurt him.”

She’d struck a nerve. “Yet you’re doing it now. Don’t you know how John feels about what you’re doing? He loves you, and he can’t understand what you’ve become.”

“I know.” Danner’s voice was low and threaded with pain. “But I have to do it. I have to give the child what she wants so that she’ll go away and stop the torment.”

“Bonnie,” Eve said between set teeth. “I’ve told you-” It didn’t matter what he called her. Why argue with him? “You’ve told me yourself that John is probably right behind us. What will you do when he catches up? You may have to kill him to keep the demons away.”

“No, I won’t do that. He won’t catch up. We’re almost there.”

She jumped at the sentence. “Where?”

“Providence.” His lips twisted. “Did you think you were tricking me? It doesn’t matter if you know. Not now.” He turned and started up the trail. “Come along, Eve. By this time tomorrow it will be over.”

Providence. The only Providence she knew was in Rhode Island. Was it a real place they were going or a figment of Danner’s imagination? Or was it a term he was using to describe the situation? The last few minutes should have taught her how unstable he could be. Providence. Truth or fantasy, it was the only clue, the only weapon she had.

If she could find a way of using it.

“WHERE ON EARTH IS HE taking us?” Father Barnabas gazed at Ben, who was climbing the hill several yards ahead of them. “It seems as if we’ve been going around in circles for the last few hours.”

“We have,” Joe said. “We passed that triangular rock twice.”

The priest shook his head. “Then the boy doesn’t really know where he’s going. Why didn’t you give up and stop him?”

“Because there’s a chance he does know. There was no uncertainty about what he was doing. He took every turn with perfect confidence. I believe there’s a possibility that Danner took this route when he led Ben to his place.” His gaze was fastened on Ben’s back. “He liked the boy, but he wouldn’t entirely trust him. He’d be afraid he could be fooled or manipulated. So he took him on a route that would make anyone with him think he didn’t know where he was going and give up on him.”

“Interesting theory. But how long do we consider it a valid premise?”

“As long as we can. Look at him. He thinks that he knows where he’s going. I’d bet he subconsciously counted every twist and turn that Danner made and is repeating them.” His lips twisted. “Have a little faith, Father.”

“That was unfair. I have faith. But perhaps I’m like Danner and not sure how the boy’s mind works. You seem to be a step ahead of us.”

“I’m guessing.” He only hoped that he was guessing right. Why was he so certain that Ben was the key to finding Eve? Just because that smile reminded him of the sketch of Bonnie? Because he seemed to shine when everything around Joe was in darkness? He should be thinking analytically, not relying on instinct.

Screw it. Instinct was all he had right now.

“It’s just ahead.” Ben was looking over his shoulder at him. “I’m glad we got here before dark. The ground is rough for the last stretch. I fell twice when Ted was leading me up here.” He didn’t wait for an answer, but lengthened his stride and disappeared around the curve.

Yes.

The way to the top of the hill was as treacherous as Ben had said. Slippery shale alternating with sandy ground that gave away from beneath their feet. Joe had to stop twice to pull Father Barnabas back on the trail when the shale had thrown him into a skid. The last yards, which should have taken a few minutes, stretched into almost twenty.

The sun was going down in a blaze of scarlet when they reached the top of the summit.

Ben was looking out at the hills and ridges surrounding them. “Beautiful.” The sun was bathing his face with a soft glow. “Isn’t it beautiful? Ted couldn’t see it. I don’t know why. I tried to tell him how it made me feel. But Ted said it was a trap, and demons lurked everywhere.”

“Did you believe him?” Joe asked quietly.

“The first night he brought me here. It scared me. But then I found out that he was wrong.”

“How did you do that?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. I just woke up in the morning and looked out at the ridge and knew there was nothing bad out there.”

“The ridge?”

Ben pointed to the ridge to the far north. “I think that’s where Ted went when he left me. He said I had to stay here and not follow him, or the demons would get me.”

A surge of excitement electrified Joe. He went to the edge of the cliff and looked out at the ridge. Screw the demons. I’ve got you, Danner. “He was only gone one night?”

“The first night. After that, sometimes only four or five hours.”

What the hell was Danner doing beyond that ridge?

He’d find out.

“Wait until dawn.” Father Barnabas was standing beside him. “You’ll break your neck on this hill in the dark. You have time. Ted Danner isn’t there yet.”

“And he won’t come up this way. I’d bet he only brought Ben up here so that he could put a barrier to keep him from following him.” His gaze went back to the ridge, which appeared to ramble for miles. “It’s damn long. What the hell is on the other side?”

“The place,” Ben said. “But no demons. I promise you, no demons.”

“I’m not sure about that.”

“I am.”

“I’ll check my GPS and try to see what’s beyond that ridge. It’ll give me an idea of the topography.” He smiled faintly. “But I doubt if it has the capacity to identify demons.”

“You’re teasing me. That’s okay. I don’t mind.” Ben was gathering branches from the trees on the slopes leading to the hill. “I’ll build a fire. It gets cold at night in the hills.”

Joe smiled. “But Father Barnabas has his sleeping bag.”

“We can flip for it,” the priest offered.

Ben shook his head. “I like to sleep on the ground. It helps me be closer.”

“Closer to what?” Joe asked.

Ben didn’t answer directly. “Just closer.” He was kneeling and making the fire. “I like it here. It’s kind of peaceful.”

Joe wasn’t feeling at all peaceful. He could feel the blood zinging through his body, and his heart was pounding. At last he was on the way to getting a handle on this nightmare. Should he try to go explore that ridge? He didn’t have any doubt he could make it, but Father Barnabas was right about the smart course being to wait for daylight. He’d be going at it blind, and he didn’t know what the hell he was looking for. He might do it anyway. He didn’t know if he could be patient enough to wait.

“No, Joe.” The priest was gazing at him. “Think about it first.”

Joe nodded curtly. “I’ll call Catherine and Gallo and tell them where we are and see if we can get any idea about where Danner is now. If he’s anywhere near, then I’m going.” He turned and went toward the fire. “I need some light to get our position on the GPS and Google that damn ridge. I think Ben brought a pan, instant coffee, and some bottled water if you want to fix a hot drink. It’s already getting cool.”

“Later.” Father Barnabas was looking out at the ridge, which was only a purple-shaded blur in the falling darkness. “Ben is right, there is peace here. I think I’ll go over there in the trees by myself. I’ll see you soon.”

Maybe he was going to meditate or pray or whatever priests did in cases like this, Joe thought. Though a case like this wasn’t that common. Or perhaps he was planning what his next move would be in order to find Danner before Joe did.

“You watch him.” Ben was sitting back on his heels, his head tilted as he stared at Joe. “He makes you worry. Why?”

Joe shrugged. “He’s a puzzle. He may not be what he seems to be.”

Ben’s gaze went to the priest. “But why should that worry you? It’s all good.”

“Is it? How do you know?”

“Can’t you see? He kind of shines inside. Like you, Joe.”

“Me?” He shook his head. “Not likely, Ben.”

“Not exactly the same. He’s deeper, softer. But he does shine, Joe.” He smiled brilliantly. “And he only wants to help. You don’t have to worry.”

What would Ben know? He thought even Danner was good. How could Joe believe him?

Yet he did believe him. Looking at the boy’s face, he believed every word he’d spoken. Crazy.

No, it wasn’t crazy. That beautiful clear simplicity wasn’t to be denied. Dammit, he suddenly knew he didn’t want to deny it. Maybe the kid could sense or see something that Joe couldn’t. “Well, I can’t see the shine from this distance, so I guess I’ll have to go and get a little closer look at him. I’ll be right back.” He turned and strode toward the trees where the priest was sitting.

“A problem?” Father Barnabas asked as he looked up and saw Joe’s frown. “May I help?”

“Yes.” Joe stopped in front of him. “You can stop being a damn martyr and shrug off all those good intentions and vows of confidentiality that you took as a priest and as your alter ego the great psychiatrist. I’m tired of wondering if you’re going to try to push me under a bus. I want to go after Danner with a clear head.”

The priest’s brows rose. “What brought this on?”

“Ben says you shine. I don’t have his vision. I’m just a cop who’s grounded in reality. I want to see if you’re the real thing or fool’s gold.”

“I have my fool’s-gold moments. Don’t we all?”

“Yeah, but I think that Ben would be able to weigh that in and come up with the right answer.”

“You seem to have a good deal of faith in Ben.”

“I have to have faith in something or someone right now. I need it.”

Father Barnabas smiled. “So do I. That’s why I took a moment to myself.”

“Talk to me. Why are you going after Danner? Does he know too much about you, maybe too much about what the Ezra Bonafel court case was all about?”

“I’m not supposed to discuss the court case.”

“To hell with that. I’m going to find out anyway. One of Catherine’s CIA buddies is investigating it. Sealed or not, he’ll know everything about it soon.”

Barnabas’s smile faded. “I’m sure he will. The CIA can be very efficient… and ruthless. But he’s got to be very careful.”

“Why?”

“Tell the CIA to drop it, Joe.”

“Talk to me. What was so bad in those transcripts that they sealed the records? Why did the judge do that?”

Father Barnabas was silent.

“Why?” Joe asked again. “Why did the judge do it?”

The priest finally shrugged. “Because I asked him to do it.”

“You did it? Why?”

“Because it would have hurt people who were vulnerable.” He shook his head. “You’re not going to give up, are you? If I tell you, will you call off those CIA bloodhounds?”

“Maybe. If I think you’re telling the truth. But you can be sure that I’ll let them dig until eternity if you don’t tell me anything.”

The priest smiled faintly. “You’re tough, Joe.” He looked away from him at the horizon over the ridge. “The Ezra Bonafel charge was brought by Ezra’s mother, Dorothy. She claimed I had imprinted false memories through hypnosis on Ezra. The memories were of sexual abuse inflicted on Ezra as a child by his father. She refused to believe that the abuse had happened… although Ezra believed she knew about it.”

“What made her think that the charge would stick?”

“I’d done a few papers in medical journals on the possibility of being able to imprint or erase memories. Ezra had blocked out what had happened to him as a child, but the memories began to come back to him during therapy. His mother went berserk. Actually, she was probably more unstable than Ezra. She loved Ezra and couldn’t admit even to herself that she would permit him to be hurt. She had to have someone to blame.”

“And that was you?”

“Oh, yes. She had to make Ezra believe that I was the enemy and not she. I knew she didn’t stand a chance of winning and that it was going to hurt her and Ezra far more than it did me. I tried to talk her out of pressing charges, but she wouldn’t agree. The best I could get was a trial with the least possible publicity in a small town south of Atlanta.”

“She lost the case?”

“Yes. And she suffered a nervous breakdown two weeks after the judge handed down his decision. Ezra stood by her. I believe the responsibility of taking care of her helped them both to heal.”

“And what helped you to heal?”

“The knowledge that I’d tried to do the right thing.” He grimaced. “But it brought me to the point that I realized that my patients sometimes needed more help than I was able to give. I had to do some serious thinking.” He looked back at Joe. “Don’t let those court records surface. It would hurt Ezra and his mother too much. Maybe God’s helped them to forget all that pain they went through.”

“No bitterness?”

“Why would I be bitter?”

Joe studied him in surprise for a moment. Because a woman had done her best to destroy him? No, he could tell that Father Barnabas was sincere. “No reason.”

“You believe me?”

“I believe you.” He turned away. “I can’t do anything else. Who am I to argue with a man Ben thinks is golden?”

Father Barnabas chuckled. “Not only do I ‘shine,’ but now I’m golden? I must be truly blessed.”

Joe glanced at him over his shoulder. “Do you know, I think you just might be at that.”

A FEW MOMENTS LATER, Joe sank down across from Ben at the fire. The boy was sitting with his chin resting on his raised knees, his gaze fixed on the fire.

Joe was silent for a moment. “Weren’t you even curious about where Ted Danner was going beyond that ridge?”

“No. I could tell he didn’t want to tell me. There are things I don’t like anyone else to know, too.” He smiled. “But he liked me to be here when he came back from the place. At first I thought he was just being nice to me, but I think maybe he was lonely like I was.”

“Past tense. You’re not lonely any longer?”

He shook his head. “I’m… full now.”

“What?”

“There were so many things I didn’t understand. Everyone around me seemed to see everything so clearly, and I couldn’t. And the things I could see, they couldn’t. I was different.”

Yes, he was, and Joe didn’t know what to answer. “Different isn’t always bad.”

“But I’m not different. I was wrong.” Ben smiled. “None of us are different on the inside. Or if we are, it’s only good.”

“And because of that, you’re not lonely any longer?”

“I think that’s it.” He was silent a moment. “I get confused. There’s so much that comes when she touches me.”

Joe stiffened. “She?”

“I didn’t tell you the truth.” Ben stared into the fire. “I told you that I didn’t know how I knew that when I woke up that first morning that everything was all right.”

“That was a lie?”

“That was the first night the dream came. She told me. She said, ‘Don’t be afraid, Ben. Not of anything. There are no demons unless you let them into your heart. Some things might hurt you, but they don’t matter. Look beyond them, and all you’ll see is all the beauty inside you.’” He smiled. “Fancy words, but somehow I knew what she meant. That was nice. It made me feel… safe.”

“Who is she, Ben?”

Ben looked at him. “Why do you ask me? You know her name. I knew when you were talking to me in the tent that she’d talked to you, too. I could feel it. It was almost as if I could see her beside you.”

“Did you?” Joe said, through the tightening in his throat. “Is that why you decided to bring us here?”

“I trust you,” he said simply. “You dream about her, too. You wouldn’t lie to me or do anything bad.”

“Listen, Ben, I’ll try to keep my promise to you. But I don’t know what’s going to happen.”

“Neither do I. But she told me not to be afraid of anything. But you’re afraid, aren’t you, Joe?”

He wished he wasn’t afraid. He wished he could embrace the same glowing simplicity and faith as this boy who seemed to have reached out into the mist and touched Bonnie because of that same simplicity. But he didn’t have the right to sit and wait and hope. He was the one who had to take responsibility and not wait for help. It was Eve who was in danger.

And nothing must happen to her.

Joe nodded. “I’m afraid. But I’m glad you aren’t.”

Ben was studying him. “It’s the woman in the photo, it’s Eve.”

“Always.” He paused. “She’s Bonnie’s mother, Ben.”

His eyes widened. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I didn’t think it would mean anything to you. I didn’t know about the dream.”

He nodded slowly. “Ted mustn’t hurt her. It would be bad.” Then his expression cleared. “But we can help her. And we mustn’t be afraid.”

Because Bonnie had told Ben that he shouldn’t fear anything.

“I’m going to sleep now.” Ben was curling up on the ground, facing the fire. “I like it here. Do you hear the wind through the trees? It’s kind of like a song…”

“Would you like some coffee?”

“No, I want to sleep. The times I’ve come here with Ted, the dreams have come. I think it’s easier for her here…”

“You’ve had more than that one dream?”

He nodded, his eyes closing. “She talks to me. She tells me things. She teaches me. She makes me understand, and every time she leaves me I’m… bigger, fuller.”

“Do the dreams come even when you’re not here?”

“Yes, but not as often.” He cradled his cheek beneath one hand. “She likes it here. The animals… the deer…”

“Eve would like to know that.”

“Tell her…”

He was asleep.

Joe gazed at the firelight playing over Ben’s face. Are you dreaming of Bonnie now? Is she with you? What is she teaching you?

But that was between Ben and Bonnie, and no one should interfere.

Dream, my friend…

He got to his feet and moved several yards away from the fire before he pulled out his phone. No dreams for him. He had work to do.

First, to find out was beyond that ridge. He checked the coordinates on his GPS and punched them into Google.

It took a minute for the overview to come on the screen.

“What the hell!”